Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, rolls in tomorrow, as the debate over who gets to be a free American continues to unleash unfathomable cruelties. Below is a list of art-oriented events celebrating Juneteenth — both on the day itself and through the weekend — that cultivate connectivity, joy, and expression, fueling us through the hardest parts of the battle on this day of reflection and rejoice. —Rhea Nayyar
Thursday, June 19
Van Cortlandt House Museum Juneteenth Celebration
Van Cortlandt House Museum | Broadway at West 246th Street, Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx | Thursday, June 19, 5:30–7:30pm
The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and the Bronx Art Ensemble unite this Juneteenth to present spoken word and musical performances, a procession to the park’s Enslaved African Burial Ground, and a libation ceremony honoring the life and legacy of enslaved people, preceded by dinner available for sale from pan-African restaurant Voila Afrique.
Joy and Juneteenth at Children’s Museum of Manhattan
Children’s Museum of Manhattan | Tisch Building, 212 West 83rd Street, Upper West Side, Manhattan| Thursday, June 19, 10:30am–4:15pm
Several hands-on workshops at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan celebrate Black joy. From murals inspired by contemporary artists like Kerry James Marshall, Amy Sherald, and Derrick Adams, to a guided art zine session with teaching artist Lillian Young, families can intertwine their own futures with the legacy of powerful people from history, both past and present.
The Family Reunion
Juneteenth in Queens | Roy Wilkins Park, Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica | Thursday, June 19, 12–7pm
Juneteenth in Queens returns with a new focus: honoring the Black family reunion. This event celebrates the coming together of kin with performances, live music, food vendors, and a variety of other activities — and it is, as always, completely free.
Juneteenth Late Shift at the Guggenheim
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum | 1071 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan | Thursday, June 19, 5:30–8pm
Course through Rashid Johnson’s solo exhibition throughout the Guggenheim spiral after hours on Juneteenth, and enhance the typical experience with holiday-specific performances, poetry, and reflections. Anyone who can’t make it to this specific event should note that the museum is now open through 8pm on Thursdays from June through July.
Commemorating Juneteenth with Creative Outlet
Brooklyn Academy of Music | 30 Lafayette Ave, Fort Greene, Brooklyn | Thursday, June 19, 2pm + Friday, June 20, 7:30pm
The Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet, a Black non-profit dance and theater company known for performances rooted in historical narratives and social justice, celebrates its 30th anniversary this Juneteenth with multiple stagings of It’s In My DNA (2025), choreographed vignettes of Black history and perseverance in the United States and abroad.
Juneteenth 2025 at the Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image | 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, Queens | Thursday, June 19, 12pm–5:30pm
The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) and the Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) come together to celebrate Juneteenth with a gallery scavenger hunt, musical and dance performances, a collage animation workshop, and a film screening of Paris Blues (1961), followed by a conversation with LAHM historian Hyland Harris.
Troy Anthony & The Fire Ensemble at Domino Square
Domino Park | 15 River Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn | Thursday, June 19, 7pm
Who is ready to raise their voice and sing? Inspired by Black church spirituals, creative director Troy Anthony and the Fire Ensemble have created an uplifting performance that invokes collective liberation — no fainting necessary. This non-religious concert, part performance piece and part theatrical debut, includes a special handwashing ceremony and communal singing.
REPARATIONS! A Juneteenth Celebration of Black Improv
Caveat NYC | 21 A Clinton Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan | Thursday, June 19, 7pm
What is joy without humor? Everyone and their mother could use a laugh and some levity right now, and a jam-packed lineup of all-Black comedy groups hosted by Wild ‘N Out castmember Sydney Duncan is slated to take creative liberty to a new level with one tongue-in-cheek request: “40 acres and some improv!”
Saturday, June 21
Juneteenth Jubilee at the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum | 200 Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights, Brooklyn | Saturday, June 21, 1–5pm
Community-building and self-expression take center stage in the Brooklyn Museum’s Juneteenth programming this year. Kicking off with a guided walkthrough of late and tenacious Afro-Indigenous artist Nancy Elizabeth Prophet’s solo exhibition I Will Not Bend an Inch (2025), the museum’s Juneteenth Jubilee is also infused with live jazz music, a book swap and perusal space hosted by the Free Black Women’s Library, art workshop and games, and a poetry open mic, among other activities.
We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth Vol. III
651 Arts and The Soapbox Presents | The Plaza at 300 Ashland Place, Fort Greene, Brooklyn | Saturday, June 21, 2–8pm
This free, family-friendly event at the intersection of Brooklyn’s bustling market district centers Black culture and creativity in all forms. It will include a marching band, majorette squads, and stepping performances channeling the student traditions of historically Black colleges and universities; a marketplace championing Black artisans and vendors; collaborative workshops underscoring personal narratives, storytelling, and creative expression; and of course, food trucks to keep the energy going from afternoon to evening.
A Union of Hope: 1869 Tour at the Tenement Museum
Tenement Museum | 103 Orchard Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan | Monday through Saturday, 11am–4pm
While this falls outside of designated Juneteenth programming, the Tenement Museum’s permanent exhibition of a 19th-century apartment that was home to a free, working Black couple recounts forgotten truths about Black migration, survival, and discrimination in New York City. Learn the story and impact of Joseph and Rachel Moore, who lived in a tight Manhattan apartment amid the racial turbulence of the mid-to-late 1800s through a 75-minute guided tour within their restaged quarters, bolstered by documents, files, and other material ephemera archiving their lives.
